Full Circle
by FortressMaximus
Summary: It has been said that for one journey to begin, another must end. If so, what ended that night Tai and the others were chosen to be DigiDestined?


  
Author's Notes:  
1) This is a dual effort by two authors here at FF.N . Isoner and myself, Fortress_Maximus. The idea was totally Isoner's. I just added the bad jokes and powerful, overwrought dialogue! ;) . The best way to say anything about this story is this--what if the first part of Digimon: The Movie wasn't what we thought is was? What if there was more to it than met the eye?  
2) In case your wondering, this DOES fit into my stories continuity (except for Pillow Talk) and is best considered past history. Characters in this have already/will show up in 'Of Crests and Planets' so your not seeing double.   
3) We don't own Digimon (duh) and there are two or three cuss words so those who might be offended you have been warned.   
4) The upcoming short story 'The Courage to Love' is a sort-of "bookend' to this story and a 'glossed over' part in 'Final Destiny, New Beginnings'.   
  
5) Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoy!  
Isoner & F_M  
  
  
FULL CIRCLE  
  
"Are you sure about that Naomi?"  
  
Sighing, Naomi Forrester resisted the urge to bang her head against the  
side of the phone booth and took a deep, calming breath instead as her  
5'3'' frame relaxed slightly. Glancing around at the world outside, her bright  
green eyes searched the mostly empty streets for any sign of the trouble  
she could feel brewing in her heart. Brushing a lock of her flame red hair  
aside the woman returned her attentions back to the conversation.  
  
"Ami, would I have called at this time of night if I wasn't?" she  
replied, using her old friend's nickname more out of habit than at an attempt of  
playful malice.  
  
A quiet pause filled the air as on the other side of the district of  
Juuban, Amelia mentally berated herself for asking a question she should have known the answer to beforehand.  
  
"I'm sorry Naomi. You're right. What can I do to help?"  
  
"Right now nothing, but keep your eyes on the news and your D-Box. I've  
got…this feeling… something is going to happen and soon. I need another  
pair of eyes on this...". Her voice trailing off, Naomi patted the fairly  
large electronic device resting on her hip as if to gain some small amount of  
comfort that her own D-Box was still there to help in the search.  
  
Amelia raised her eyebrows at that. "None of the others..??" she began  
to ask but was cut off suddenly by Naomi's edged voice.  
  
"No, they couldn't. Austin, Derrick and Merian are out of the country  
and won't be back for days."  
  
Sitting, Amelia did not want to ask the next question but felt it was  
a necessary one.  
  
"Even Flynn?"  
  
Another long pause filled the silence as Naomi exhaled softly, the side  
of the telephone booth fogging for an instant before finally fading.  
  
"Flynn's too busy with his programming to come help look. Besides, they  
all said the same thing; that Apoclymon was gone and he's not coming  
back…"  
  
Amelia heard the frost in her friend's voice and wisely decided to not  
press further; well, as far as Flynn was concerned at least.  
  
"But your not convinced of the same I take it..?"  
  
"I…don't know Amelia. The Crest of Empathy might give me the ability to  
feel what others are feeling but it can't help me read minds or see the  
future. I'm just..going on instinct on this one. Something is going to  
happen tonight. I just /know/ it! We defeated Apoclymon's Dark Generals  
and Apoclymon himself. But we never found his remains or of his most  
powerful general; the one Digimon other than Apoclymon himself that supposedly  
held the secret to Controlled Reset."  
  
"If it means anything Naomi, I'd rather trust one of your gut feelings  
that a lot of people's logic. But we do need to recall the facts; the information  
Flynn learned from Apoclymon castle suggested that Controlled Reset was just  
a myth he was researching. To simply re-create a Digimon at the exact same  
level and knowledge at the time of deletion is impossible. It bypasses  
Primary Village and Digimon life patterns as we know it."  
  
"I know, I know. But still, can we afford to take the risk of Apoclymon  
being recreated here on Earth? We don't have our Digimon anymore Ami,  
and there's no way for Gennai to help us now. If the general survived and  
used the secret of Controlled Reset to recreate himself, the first thing he  
will do is activate the Dark Ember and we'll be fighting Apoclymon all over  
again."  
Ameila didn't have an answer even though she deeply wished otherwise.  
  
Feeling the need to change the conversation, Naomi tried a different subject. "How is that daughter of yours?"  
  
At that Amelia laughed softly. "Nine going on 20 it seems. Today she  
told me matter-of-factly that she was going to be a doctor and that nothing  
was going to keep her from being just that!"  
  
Naomi smiled. "Now, who in the world does that remind me of I wonder?"  
  
"I'm not sure.." replied Amelia dryly. "But when I figure it out I'll  
be sure to let you know. Of course, you are more than welcomed to drop by  
and perhaps together we can solve the puzzle."  
  
'I know I haven't been around as much as I would have liked Ami, but  
I'm afraid it might would lead to questions that you may not be ready to  
answer. I take it she still doesn't know?"  
  
"No, and I don't plan on telling her either. What's past is past. I  
will do everything in my power to keep the life I had from affecting the life  
she's going to live. My daughter has great things in store for her and one of  
them is NOT being a Di....."  
  
From several blocks over, a horrendous crash interrupted Naomi's reply  
as every instinct, both from herself and her Crest, cried out a warning  
that something very close by was /wrong/.  
  
Very /VERY/ wrong.  
  
"Amelia..I've got to go. "  
  
"Naomi, don't do anything rash okay?"  
"Naomi…?"  
"Naomi, are you there?!"  
  
But by this point Naomi was long gone, having turned the corner and  
made her way towards the end of the block leaving the handset... and her  
friend... hanging.  
  
Setting down the now-useless receiver, Amelia sighed and looked out the  
window in the direction her friend was and said a short prayer to the  
powers that be to protect her.  
  
Rounding the corner, Naomi came to a dead stop and stared in disbelief.  
  
It was /him/.  
  
The General of Chaos.  
  
"Agumon…."  
  
The name escaped Naomi's lips like a curse whispered from an ancient  
tomb as she witnessed the Digimon…ransacking a soda machine with a  
little girl dressed as a Koala Bear?!  
  
" 'Just one each....'" she heard the girl say.  
  
"No..he's already at the rookie level! If he gets to Champion, he could  
Activate Controlled Restart here on Earth and Apoclymon will be reborn!  
I can't let that happen!"  
  
As she ran towards the carnage about to be unleashed, Naomi's mind  
drifted back to her and her friend's final days in the Digital World  
where--despite their victory--they learned something that would haunt them for the rest  
of their days...  
Austin looked at Flynn as his chestnut eyes widened at what had just  
been said. "Dude..that's bogus!"  
  
Flynn shook his head, for the moment ignoring the shocked looks from  
Ami, Naomi, Merian and Derrick.  
"Bogus or not Austin, that's what 'Controlled Reset' is; or at least  
what it appears to be at any rate."  
  
Ami shook her head, the waves of long blue hair swirling from side to  
side. "Wait Flynn. Your saying that this 'Controlled Reset' can be used by one  
Digimon to recreate another Digimon at the same power level AND memories  
as they had before they had been deleted?"  
Glancing over, he nodded. "That's right Ami."  
Derrick's thick Australian accent cut through the crowd. "So that dingo  
can just up and come back like a blooming Pop-Tart at any time?" he almost  
growled, his coal black hair not moving an inch as his matching eyes  
fixed his friend with a look of disbelief.  
Flynn smiled slightly at the way Derrick could so easily  
summarize..quite colorfully ..whatever the current conversation might be. "Close, but not  
quite Der. IF I'm reading this right.." as he gestured to the wall of  
code he and his Guava IIe Laptop had been churning to decode for the past few  
hours..."it would take a Digimon of at least Champion Level to start the  
process."  
  
"Uhm..Flynn...?"  
Blinking, the computer savvy teen with blond hair looked over at Merian  
as the young woman's hazel eyes looked at him shyly though auburn bangs.  
"But since Apoclymon was so powerful, could a Champion be strong enough to  
awaken him at his same level?"  
Naomi blinked, surprised at the accuracy of the question. Not that  
Merian was unintelligent, but when it came to the more scientific aspects of  
their journey she usually stayed clear of such matters.  
It was apparent that Flynn was taken aback as well but he nodded after  
a few moments. "It would take every ounce of energy a Champion had; but  
it /could/ be done. However..."  
"Oy, I hate when you say that word Flynnie! Always means trouble.."  
"Only for the Champion foolish enough to try Derrick. From what I  
understand Merian a Champion /could/ restore a Digimon like Apoclymon  
but it would take so much of their energy they could well collapse back into their  
component code! It would be a suicide mission any way you look at it."  
  
At that Austin grumped loudly. "Dude, last time I checked none of  
Apoclymon's flunkies were what you call high up on the ol' ladder of  
smarts. Loyal, but stupider than a rock."  
  
Narrowing her eyes, Merian glared over at their ersatz leader. "Maybe  
so Austin, but they were still Digimon and we had to destroy them to save  
both our worlds! You could at least have enough /respect/ for them as  
warriors fighting for what they believed in if not for the choices they made!"  
  
Wincing more than slightly, Naomi watched Austin flinch under the  
verbal dressing down from Merian. It was very rare for her to loose her temper,  
but a sure way to invoke the rare sight was to refuse to respect a fallen  
foe. It seemed so out of character for the quiet young woman but she was the  
holder of the Crest of Respect so perhaps....?  
Derrick clasped a firm hand on Austin's shoulder. "Hey now! Don't be  
saying things like that Merian. You know 'e didn't mean anything by it!  
Besides, you know the boy's not too high up on that latter 'emself!"  
  
Smiling at first, Austin grinning at his friend. "Thanks Der. I  
appre..HEY!" he shouted as he finally caught on to what his 'loyal'  
friend said.  
  
The group..even Flynn..erupted into tension relieving laughter as they  
all shared in the moment. Even Austin.  
  
"Some friend you are Der. You sure your supposed to have the Crest of  
Loyalty and not the Crest of being a Jerk!?"  
"Eh now Austy! Just cause I'm having a bit o'fun with you doesn't mean  
I'm not your friend. Well, least for another week 'till your next 'friend  
check' comes in!"  
  
"Keep it up Aussie Boy and I'll shove that boomerang up your.."  
  
"AHEM.." said Amelia as she gave the boys a 'watch your language' look.  
  
Sighing, Flynn turned back to the group before the focus of discussion  
became more fractured. "Can we get back to the topic at hand please?"  
Naomi nodded and sat next to Flynn. "I think we /all/ should Flynn.  
Now, you said it was dangerous for a Champion to try because of the amount of  
energy involved right?"  
  
Grateful for the return to topic, Flynn nodded. "That's right. IF what  
we're reading can indeed be done, then the question is /how/? What  
would be the crucial components for Controlled Reset to happen?"  
"Energy of course."   
  
"Right Merian."  
  
"Maybe time to get it to work right?" suggested Derrick.  
  
Flynn blinked; the length of time was something he hadn't considered  
yet."Quite possibly Derrick. But how long? A minute..ten?"  
  
"I think your right Flynn, but we're overlooking something a lot more  
basic than energy or time."  
  
Blinking, the group looked at Ami. "And that would be..?" asked the  
computer expert.  
  
"Well, WHAT are they going to use to reconstitute Apolcylmon? It's not  
like he's 'just add water' and POOF, instant Evil Digital Dictator!"  
  
Naomi and Merian blinked, not used to having Ami make a joke, and a  
sarcastic one at that. Derrick, Austin and Flynn just stood there  
dumbfounded until the group realized she had a damm good point.  
  
Suddenly the computer 'bleeped' and Flynn blinked. "Maybe...that..?" he  
pointed to a harsh looking bit of code his Guava was trying to decipher.  
For some reason, the code was harder to translate than the rest; perhaps  
encrypted for a special reason?  
Flynn got this look that the others knew all too well and backed off as  
the young man started flying his fingers over the keyboard for long moments,  
trying to find enough processing power to crack the code.  
  
"Damm..hate to do this but..open guava, closed guava....reset!"  
  
The screen blinked once, then twice, then darkened to black for a  
moment before the sounds of startup hummed inside the bulky laptop until the  
screen brightened again and the 'decoding' bar popped up on the screen  
at 98...99...  
A slight chirp of success squeaked from the single speaker and Flynn  
affectionately patted his computer, drawing a slight giggle from Naomi.  
"Well, what's the blooming thing say Flynn?"  
Furrowing his brown, he looked back at Derrick. "It's just two words.  
Dark and Ember."  
  
"Ah well..that /solves/ everything doesn't it!" sneered Austin.  
Ami was about to chide her friend when she noticed Naomi's pale  
expression.  
Walking over the young blue haired woman rested her hand on Naomi's  
shoulder.  
"Naomi?"  
Turning, the rest of her friends blinked at the pasty expression and  
scrambled over in case something was serious wrong with her.  
  
"Naomi?!"  
  
Unsteadily, the young woman latched onto Austin's shoulder as a wave of  
nausea passed through her body. It took all her focus to not run off to  
the side and return her lunch onto the castle floor.  
  
It was several long minutes before Naomi could even attempt to stand  
without assistance. When she finally was able to do so, the others  
watched with concern as she tried to speak, fumbling for the words.  
  
"I..understand..now..it's..so..clear.."  
  
Derrick looked at this friends, confusion evident on his face. "Come  
now love, don't be scaring us like this. What's so clear..?"  
Naomi's mouth opened and closed for several long moments before she  
found the strength to continue her explanation.  
  
"When..we.. defeated Apoclymon, I felt him dying. I could feel him  
drifting apart..turning back into his basic code. Then I felt, I don't  
know but..I felt a part of him /vanish/!"  
"Vanished?" mused Ami. "As opposed to simply dissolving?"  
Nodding softly, Namoi closed her eyes trying to focus on the unsettling  
memory. "It..the part of him..just vanished. And..it was so very dark.  
It felt like..a heart of darkness. /His/ heart of darkness maybe..."  
  
Very slowly, Flynn looked up from his screen at his friend. "So..what  
you felt /could/ have been this 'Dark Ember'?"  
Naomi turned to look at the young man. "I'm sure of it Flynn. It..it  
just fits too perfectly to be anything else!"  
  
"So.." began Merian, "that means that this 'Dark Ember' actually  
exists and it could be anywhere right?"  
  
"Right Merian. But.." suddenly his voice trailed off as a terrible  
thought entered Austin's mind. "Oh..shit!"  
  
Blinking, Derrick looked at his friend who /never/ cussed like that.  
**Oy mate, this ain't a good sign...**  
  
"It could even be on Earth!"  
  
Each DigiDestined looked at the others for a long moment before the  
group collectively shuddered at the thought.  
"But..there's no proof..right?" hopefully suggested Merian.  
"Unfortunately Mer, there's no proof that it's NOT on Earth either."  
  
"Then what do we do guys?" asked Ami, unable to see a solution to the  
dilemma.  
  
"Perhaps, for now, the best course of action would be nothing at all."  
  
Blinking hard, the five teens turned around to find them face to face  
with the mysterious figure that had been guiding them all along, but never to  
date revealed his face behind the heavy brownish-white hood that covered  
his face.  
  
"It's you!"  
  
"Well, of course it's me Austin. It is wasn't me, then I would be  
someone else, and /that/ would not be a good thing since I would have to change  
all my monogrammed stationary!"  
Resisting the urge to bang his head against the castle wall, Derrick  
chose rather to walk over and stand face to hood with the figure. "'Ey now!  
Ever since we got here, you've been leading us 'round like a 'roo to a  
watering hole! How 'bout you shove off with the mystery and just tell us who  
y'are!"   
Naomi winced as Derrick's accent progressive thickened as he spoke; a  
sure sign the young man was getting close to the boiling point.  
  
"There has been a reason I have not revealed my identity Derrick."  
  
Standing, Flynn stretched slightly and cocked his head somewhat. "And  
that would be...?"  
  
The figure was silent for a long moment before responding. "There is a  
great evil growing my DigiDestined. One that..in time..could threaten  
both your world in addition to this one. Even now, it watches for signs of  
who might rise against it. By not revealing myself, I keep those of us who  
plan to fight the darkness hidden that much longer; giving us time to  
prepare."  
Merian paled slightly. "You mean..this darkness..is our next enemy?"  
The tone of resignation was all too apparent in her voice.  
"No, my child. This battle will happen far in the future, with others  
called to aid the side of light. For now, your time as DigiDestined is  
over."  
  
The implication of what the figure was saying slowly sank into their  
understanding, but after several long seconds the group brightened.  
  
"You..you mean...we can go home??"  
  
Nodding, the figure placed a callused hand on Naomi's shoulder. "That's  
right my dear. It's time for you to go home."  
"But.." began Austin.."The Dark Ember. Apoclymon! We can't just leave  
with that hanging over us...!"  
"You must Austin. As I have told you in the past, the interference that  
prevented us from sending you home before has finally subsided to a  
degree that it can be blocked. But..only for a short while. If you do not  
go..and soon..you could be trapped here forever."  
"But..our Digimon…" began Merian but was cut off from continuing by a  
gentle shake of head from their robed ally.  
"Your Digimon must stay here Merian. I know the parting will be  
difficult, and I truly wish there was another way. But for their safety,  
as well as your own, they /must/ stay here in the Digital World."  
"No way!" challenged Austin, catching both the robed figure and his  
DigiDestined friends off guard. "After all we've been through there is  
no fucking way I'm going to leave …"  
"There is NO time to debate this!" firmly interjected their ally. "Your  
Digimon are too weak to survive in your world after their battle with  
Apoclymon and if you wait much longer…."  
"We'll be trapped here, possibly forever." calmly observed Ami.  
The others looked at her, shocked at how she could just /stand/ there  
and be willing to leave behind the creatures who had become their best friends.  
  
Feeling their gaze, Ami looked over and shook her head. "I don't want to  
leave them any more than you do Austin. But we have to think of  
ourselves and our parents. We have lives of our own to return to and what  
would our Digimon say if we chose them over our lives back on Earth?"  
  
That simple question washed over the group as each present realized how  
right Ami was. Their Digimon were too weak to survive without the healing  
properties of the Digital world and they had lives--and family--to  
return to on Earth. After a few moments each DigiDestined nodded  
silently in agreement with their friend.  
"How long do we have?" Derrick asked their cloaked friend.  
  
"An hour at best."  
A palatable sadness washed over each DigiDestined as they had wished  
for just a bit longer; but in reality no amount of time would have been  
enough to say good-bye. They would just have to be grateful having what  
time they were given by fate.  
The tearful good-bye's were said, and with their time nearly up each used  
their D-Boxes and Crests to stabilize a portal back to their world.  
With one final look around, they stepped into the portal, unable (or  
unwilling) to risk a final look back at the world that had come to mean  
so much to them.  
After a few moments, the portal swirled and in a brilliant flash of  
light vanished and any sign of the 5 human children who had saved the  
world as the DigiDestined were gone with it.  
  
"Damm he's fast!" cussed Naomi softly as she tried to vain to keep up  
with the quick Digimon and the young girl who was, to all appearances,  
playing 'horsy' with the creature!  
  
"I've got to stop him somehow! If Agumon is here, that means we were  
right and the Dark Ember exists. Apoclymon is going to be reborn on  
Earth!"  
  
Her desperation growing, Naomi failed to notice the Crest of Empathy  
glowing soft emerald around her neck.  
  
Explosions up ahead caused her to skid to a stop and down a alley to  
come out a block closer to the creature than she anticipated. It was  
then she paled at the sight of burning phone booth and flattened trash  
cans strewed around the area. Looking up, three burning blasts of pepper  
flame arced through the sky, narrowly missing a passing news helicopter.  
  
Feeling nearly overwhelmed by emotions crashing through her, Naomi  
shivered in the night air as tears flowed down her cheek at the  
helplessness of her situation.  
  
Agumon was on a rampage.  
The young girl was going to be but the first killed as Apoclymon would  
soon be reborn. Her planet would be no more; the price of her failure.  
But perhaps the worse of all, for Naomi herself, would be she would  
never again see the man she loved.  
  
All this washed over Naomi until, in a moment of pure  
need, she cried out to the stars and heavens .  
  
'Please..someone..help me save my world!!"  
  
As if in answer to her plea, the Crest of Empathy erupted with emerald  
light and shot a beam into the night sky. Swirling, it lanced seemingly  
from star to star crisscrossing the darkness until a giant orb of energy  
formed.  
  
Almost like..a giant egg.  
  
With a clap of thunder the orb opened and in a brilliant burst of light  
and hope, Naomi's prayer was answered by the one being in the universe  
that no amount of time or distance could keep from helping in her greatest hour of need.  
  
"Parrotmon!" shouted Naomi as the Digimon, /her/ Digimon, arrived on  
Earth.  
  
~~Don't worry Naomi!~~ thought the Digimon to his friend. ~~I won't let  
you down!~~  
  
Being a Parrotmon, the Digimon had a limited vocal ability but possessed  
immense telepathic abilities and communicated mostly by thought to his  
human partner. Even though being taken aback by the ability at first, Naomi had come to miss the gentle flow of thoughts from her friend in the years since their parting  
  
~~He has a child as a hostage. We have to get her away from  
him.~~ she thought back to him, unwilling to risk telegraphing their strategy to the Dark General.  
  
~~Stay back, Naomi. I'll handle it!~~  
  
"PEPPER FLAME!" shouted Augmon as he fired several fireballs at his old adversary,  
  
Parrotmon dodged with practiced ease, and then swooped closely over the  
Chaos General's head. The resulting wind gust knocked the child to the  
ground. With luck, Augmon would be so enraged he would follow Parrotmon  
safely away from the child so they could battle without risk to her or  
the innocents nearby.  
  
"Kari!? Kari where are you?!" came the scared yell from a young boy  
dressed in blue pajamas.  
  
**Where did that second child come from!?** screamed Naomi to herself as  
now there were two innocents in the line of fire. **The children wouldn't leave the monsters side! But..why?? Didn't they know the kind of creature they were protecting?!**  
  
"Don't hurt the children Parrotmon"  
  
~~No problem, Naomi. This will be a warning shot!!~~  
  
"SONIC DESTROYER!!"  
  
As promised, the immensely powerful attack missed both the kids and  
Agumon, and hit the bridge they were standing under instead.  
  
However, amidst the noise of battle, Naomi cried out in horror as  
the bridge began to give way, unable to support itself against the  
immense energy burst.  
  
~~NO! Naomi, I overdid it; the bridge is falling on them! I didn't  
mean too..~~  
  
Naomi sank to her knees. **Those two kids; there..there was no way  
they could have survived...!**  
  
But, as the dust settled, the rubble of the bridge started to move and  
before the startled eyes of both Naomi and Parrotmon arose Greymon,  
fully evolved and..protecting the children?!.  
  
"Parrotmon, he..he saved them. He saved those kids! Have we misjudged  
him?!"  
  
~~I..I don't know Naomi. I don't know!~~ admitted the now /very/ confused Digimon.  
  
However, no less confused than Parrotmon was Greymon himself.  
  
**Why am I doing this? Why am I protecting these fragile  
..little…humans!?** Growling, Greymon tried to figure out how he had  
gone so soft. There creates were nothing to him! Fodder for Apoclymon's  
great ascension! But..why did they keep protecting him over and over at  
the risk of their own lives??  
  
**Because they care..** echoed the small voice of his conscience; a  
voice he though stilled long ago.  
  
**They are nothing!** Greymon shot back, but his thoughts were so  
unconvincing even he didn't believe them.  
  
**You are wrong. They are more than nothing. They are /everything/. **  
  
**I won't be weak!**  
  
**Weak? A coward is more like it.**  
  
**How DARE…**  
  
**I DARE because we both know it to be true! Choose now Greymon! Either  
being the darkness back to this world and have the death of these small  
creatures on your hands, or let them free you to do what you know is  
right!" The voice faded, leaving the Dark General with a choice beyond any he had faced before.  
  
Time seemed to stop for an eternity as the Digimon was racked by pain  
and indecision. It was then he saw into the young girl's eyes; how much  
she cared for him. How much they /both/ cared for him.  
  
In that moment, all became crystal clear.  
  
Greymon stood, understanding at long last his true destiny. Stepping  
past the children he had just saved, the Digimon looked down at the  
young male human and as gently as possible corrected his error.  
  
"I'm Greymon now…"  
  
"Y..you can be whoever you want big guy…."  
  
Smiling to himself, the Digimon looked over at Parrotmon and focused on  
his enemy.  
  
**I won't let you hurt them again Parrotmon!** "NOVA FLARE!"  
  
"Parrotmon!" screamed Naomi as she tried to run over to her fallen  
Digimon. But before she had covered even half the distance, Greymon had  
charged and now grappled with Parrotmon hand to hand.  
  
Normally this would have been an even match, but Parrotmon was   
determined. Too many scores needed settling with Greymon and they had all come due. Slowly, Greymon was being forced back. In one sudden move, Greymon was thrown clear.  
  
"SONIC DESTROYER!!" The blast hit, and Greymon was devastated.  
  
  
At last it was over. Parrotmon closed the distance to the fallen Digimon. It was time to take Greymon home to answer for his crimes.  
  
Suddenly Naomi felt an surge of terror; but not from herself or Parrotmon. It was..from the kids??  
  
**They care..for..HIM?"** Naomi was shocked to hear herself  
think that. Then, she felt the same immense feeling of loss from the  
other children gathered on balconies above them.  
  
Suddenly, Naomi found she had to clutch her ears at the piercing shrill of a whistle being sounded.  
  
"Wha…??" she tried to shout above the din to Parrotmon.  
  
Then, unbelievable as it seemed, Greymon awoke.  
  
Getting to his feet, the dinosaur Digimon realized any longer and the children at his feet, as well as the others watching, could be hurt or killed in the melee. Summoning all his remaining energy--including that generated by the Dark Ember--Greymon charged at his opponent. "This ends now Parrotmon! You.. will… not.. endanger these children...again!"  
  
The birdlike Digimon blinked at the words growled in anger from his foe, shocked that such an evil Digimon would say such a thing.  
  
"NOVA FLARE!"  
  
At point blank range all Parrotmon could do was to protect Naomi and  
the surrounding buildings from the attack, but that meant absorbing the  
total force of the blast.  
  
It was too much for him or Greymon, as they were both enveloped in the  
Nova Flare.  
  
A wash of light flooded the sky as both Digimon were taken from Naomi's view. When it, along with the smoke and debris of the battle finally settled, the DigiDestined watched with sadness as Parrotmon and Greymon drifted back through a Digital Portal.   
~~Parrotmon!! Please..don't go!!~~ Naomi mentally cried out in anguish at loosing her Digimon for the second time in her life.   
~~I will never forget you Naomi! Please..remember me!~~ drifted back the weak voice of her friend.   
~~I promise Parrotmon! I promise!!~~ she shouted back, feeling the hot salty tears finally flow freely as the portal closed and the Digimon were gone.   
The screen of the D-Box at her side cracked. After a quick glance, the device confirmed what Naomi could see--the Digimon were no longer on Earth. Now, it was just her and the kids.  
  
Without warning, eight beams of light shot from the night sky, as if searchlights from heaven itself fanning the area. Then, one beam seemed to lock onto the sobbing boy and girl, dirty from kneeling in the rubble of the bridge. Then, the others locked onto several children on various balconies as if.. judging them.   
Then, the lights vanished, leaving Naomi alone on the sidewalk as off in the distance police and emergency sirens could be heard getting louder by the second.   
It was then Naomi Forrester realized what she had just witnessed.   
Not just the end of her../their/ time as being the DigiDestined. But that..maybe..a new age was born.   
These young children, so innocent and unaware.  
They were Chosen now.   
A wave of both sadness and relief washed over Naomi as she looked down and noticed the soft glow of her Crest finally fade. Clutching the pendant, the woman smiled softly and eased herself back into the darkness of the alley as she had friends to call and wonders to relate.   
And..finally...to tell the man she loved her true feelings; to perhaps create their own destiny now.  
Together.   
  
Parrotmon awoke to the feeling of soft grass against his body. Slowly, he  
stumbled to his feet, feeling low on energy but realizing he was lucky  
enough to be feeling anything at all.  
  
It was then he sensed another presence close to him and with battle-honed  
reflexes the Digimon turned around.  
  
Greymon stood there quietly, as if debating on what to do. Then, suddenly  
and without a single word, the Digimon turned and with heavy footsteps began  
walking off into the descending sun towards the Great Desert.  
  
Parrotmon stood there, unsure if to believe what he was seeing  
.No taunt. No words to inflame. No..nothing.  
What was going on!? And, perhaps, more importantly...  
"Why?" he found himself asking out loud towards the departing Digimon.  
Pausing, Greymon turned and looked as his old foe for the longest time.  
Then... for the briefest of moments...he smiled.  
Parrotmon was beyond stunned at the answer to his query and could only watch  
as Greymon, most powerful of the Dark Generals, disappeared into the  
timeless sands of the desert.  
  
A long time ago...  
  
As the five young humans vanished from sight, the robed figure glanced upwards catching  
sight of his friend as she approached.  
The shimmering light floated next to him, and after a long silence finally spoke.  
"You didn't tell them?"  
"No. I though it best not too."  
"Why?"  
"Bad enough they had to leave their Digimon behind; I wasn't going to  
add to their grief by telling them all their battles could be for  
nothing if the circle is not completed."  
"I wouldn't call it for nothing Gennai.." quietly countered The Entity. "They did their part admirably and set in motion the events for Apoclymon's final defeat. Now the battle will fall to others to finish what they have started."  
"Perhaps my friend. Perhaps.."  
Another long pause filled the air before The Entity 'glanced' down at her friend. "Are they ready?"  
Nodding, Gennai pulled out the small square-ish box with the circular screen. "Five are. The other three will be done shortly."  
"And the new Crests and Eggs?"  
"The same."  
"The time is getting closer Gennai. We have to be ready."  
"We will. The question is will /they/ be ready?"  
"They MUST be ready Gennai. For the sake of both worlds…."  
  
  
And they were.  
  
End  
  
  
  



End file.
